Benefits of Occupational Therapy

COULD MY CHILD BENEFIT FROM MEETING WITH AN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST BEFORE A CLEANING?

Meeting new health care practitioners can be a frightening scenario for some children.  A biannual dental visit can pose challenging for children who…..

  • are oral sensitive
  • have sound or light sensitivities
  • are tactile sensitive and do not like being touched
  • struggle with oral hygiene tasks at home
  • are picky eaters
  • do not like having someone come near their face/mouth
  • dislike haircuts
  • have a hard time sitting still
  • have communication challenges
  • have a hard time understanding directives/requests
  • struggle with general anxiety
  • struggle meeting new people and tolerating new places
  • have a hard time with transitions
  • have a history of medical issues causing fear of medical scenarios
  • have or have had a feeding tube
  • history of reflux

If your child has struggled with dental visits in the past, or has a hard time with haircuts or medical appointments, a meeting with the OT might be a helpful option for you and your child!

The occupational therapist will work with you and your child to adapt to the environment and process of a dental cleaning to best fit your child’s needs, before meeting the hygienist and dentist.